Sometimes when I study these old aircraft photos, I find interesting things in the background. Knowing that this photo was taken at Konstanz, German. Via Goggle Earth I was able to determine the location. The little lighthouse on the south pier is still standing. Two piers provide protection to the harbor at Konstanz.
The surprise was the statue that now stands erect on the other pier and its story.
The 30 ft Imperia concrete statue was created by Peter Lenk. It was clandestinely erected in 1993. The statue caused some controversy, but it was on private property of a rail company that did not object to its presence. Eventually, it became a widely-known landmark of Konstanz.
The statue was inspired by a short story by Balzac, "La Belle Impéria". The story is a harsh satire of the Catholic clergy's morals, where the courtesan Imperia seduces cardinals and princes at the Council of Constance. Some artistic licence is taken here as the Roman courtesan Imperia, who it is named after, lived about 100 years after the Council of Constance.
Council of Constance was an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church held in 1414 to 1418 to end the Western Schism in which more than one person claimed to be The Pope.
The statue shows a woman, a courtesan, holding two mostly naked men in her hands. The two men resemble Pope Martin V (elected during the council) and Emperor Sigismund (who called the council), and they wear the papal tiara and imperial crown.
I am currently looking for a new yard statue. I guess it will have to be a backyard statue. Don't think my neighborhood would appreciate am Imperia replica in my front yard.